Hydraulic oil filtering

Hydraulic oil filtering

The hyraulic oil, used in oil-hydraulic systems in paper mills, injection moulding systems, industrial machinery or in the transfer of fluids from stock tanks to system tanks, can be subject to a high number of contaminants.

Contaminants, in most cases, can be either solid or liquid

To name a few, silicon dioxide, which is present in the environment as sand or dust, lustrous metal debris generated from the internal wear of a system, or rust and fibers generated by paper and cleaning wipers in the industrial environment.

The detrimental effect of solid contaminants is represented by abrasive wear, that consumes components and produces, in a knock-on effect, other contaminants.

Another contaminant is water, that can appear inside an hydraulic circuit because of leaks in the cooling systems present in the plant or in environments subject to strong thermal changes.

Water pollution can procude harmful effects on the oil, like the reduction of lubricating properties, the creation of rust on ferrous metal parts and the premature precipitation of the oil additives.

The presence of water in lubricating oil can drastically reduce the bearings’ life.

If the water percentage in the oil is 5%, the bearing’s life reduces to 40%, while if the water precentage rises to 10% the bearing’s life lowers to 30% (it will last 3 years, instead of 10)

Hydraulic oil maintenance

The first thing to do, when looking after an oil-hydraulic plant is the hydraulic oil analysis, an operation that is carried out by taking a sample and testing it with a specific machine.

Changing hydraulic oil in oil-hydraulic plants is not always necessary. Often filtering the oil, to cleanse it from contaminants, will increase the plant’s life and will protect the automation’s components, like valves and pumps, from dangerous wear.